Verle Van Der Pol, 72, of Leighton, IA, passed away Monday, June 15, 2026, at Carnegie Village near Kansas City, Missouri.
Verle Douglas Van Der Pol, son of Gerald Melvin and Dorothy (Van Gorp) Van Der Pol, was born October 31, 1953, in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Verle attended Oskaloosa schools and graduated from Oskaloosa Senior High School with the class of 1971. He was active in 4H and served as the FFA President. He then attended Indian Hills Community College, where he received his certificate in tool and die making. Verle held a variety of jobs, including at Sherwin-Williams, Wilcox Garland Furniture Store, and the John Deere dealership, as well as farming with his brother Ron, before he began his career at Pella Corp, from which he retired after 39 years as a tool and die builder.
In his younger years, he owned multiple cars, but his 1967 light yellow Ford Mustang Fastback was his favorite. He and his brothers would rebuild cars and, occasionally, race a few fellow “speed enthusiasts”. Verle was fortunate to own two different acreages. One in Wright and the other in Leighton, where he enjoyed the outdoors, time with his pets, visits with his friends and family, and growing rows of cherry tomatoes, which he freely gave to anyone who visited. He enjoyed spending time with family, working on cars, mushroom hunting, and collecting classic vinyl records. He loved fishing and tinkering on projects around the acreage with his grandson Slater and spending time in Kansas City with his grandsons, Everett and Owen, enjoying the outdoors.
Verle’s family includes his children: Josh Van Der Pol of Oskaloosa; Sarah (Derek) Ashman of Raymore, Missouri; Luke Van Der Pol of Texas; Leah (Joshua) Clark of Ottumwa; Angie (Jonathan) Craig of Oskaloosa; many grandchildren; his siblings: Jerry (Sondra) Van Der Pol of Oskaloosa; Peggy (Kevin) Van Wyk of Pella, Iowa; Ron (Vicki) Van Der Pol of Oskaloosa, Iowa; Sherry (Jeff) Auld of Marion, Iowa; Randy (Melissa) Van Der Pol of Maricopa, Arizona; and Michael (Angie) Van Der Pol of Ottumwa, Iowa.
Verle was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Ben Van Der Pol.
Funeral service will be held on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., at the Langkamp Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa, with Rev. Jon Nelson officiating. Burial will take place at the Evergreen Cemetery near Leighton, Iowa. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026, at Langkamp Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa. Memorials may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
